Northridge, Calif. - Senior forward Lenny Daniel tallied 31 points and added 13 rebounds en route to his third double-double of the season as the Cal State Northridge Matadors (3-6) defeated the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen (2-2) 75-52 Tuesday night in the Matadome.

Daniel's 31 points matched his career high set earlier this season against DePaul in the 76 Classic in Anaheim. His double-double performance now gives him eleven for his career at Northridge.

The Matadors opened the game with a five-point lead before Cal Lutheran took its first lead at 9-7 five minutes in. The Kingsmen led by as many as five points with under a minute remaining in the first half before junior guard Vinnie McGhee and Daniel combined to tie the score in the closing moments.

After the intermission, Northridge needed all of the firepower it could muster as Daniel scored 18 of his 31 points in the second half. Fueled by Daniel and senior guard Dathan Lyles, Northridge opened up a 13-point lead after a 24-6 run.

Daniel shot 15-18 (.833), which ties him for the second-best shooting performance in school history, and his 15 baskets are the most for any Big West player this season. He also recorded three blocks.

Northridge held Cal Lutheran to 33 percent shooting from the field, the lowest mark for an opponent this season, and did not suffer a blocked shot for the first time this year.

Kingsman forward Aaron Van Klaveren scored 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, and guard Greg Grimm had 13 points and five assists to lead the way for Cal Lutheran.

With the victory, Northridge now leads the all-time series between the two schools 21-0. The Matadors are back in action Dec. 18 at Cal State Bakersfield at 7:00 p.m.

Quotes from CSUN head coach Bobby Braswell "The first half wasn't pretty, but the guys had a conversation at halftime and we came out and played better in the second half. That was good to see. This team definitely has good chemistry. We have a lot of new kids who are trying to figure out how to play. They are very unselfish. You have to give credit to Cal Lutheran. They were playing harder than we were in the first half. They should have been leading at halftime. Lenny (Daniel) has the potential to be a great player. I think he is capable of doing more. We will continue to challenge him to do more."

Matador Memo ... It was a special night for Matador head coach Bobby Braswell ... Braswell and his wife, Penny, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.